1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus for reinstalling loosened railroad spikes along a railroad track, and more particularly, to an apparatus having a continuous link-belt crawler for engaging loosened spikes and pressing them back to an installed position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Installation apparatus for railroad spikes relate primarily to wheel-mounted devices which roll along the track and have vertically acting hammers which drive spikes in position. A typical device of this sort is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,268,736 to Lightell. Apparatus of the same general description are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,799,230 to Jensch and U.S. Pat. No. 3,010,407 to Godfrey et al. These devices impact the head of the spike, and such impacting must be carried out on each spike individually. This results in wear on the head of the spike and shock-loading on the spike which may result in premature cracking and failure. While such impacting is usually necessary in the initial installation of railroad spikes, it is not necessarily required for reinstalling spikes which have become loosened over a period of time.
The present apparatus utilizes a continuous link-belt track-type crawler which engages the heads of loosened spikes and forces them back into their installed position by the weight of the apparatus. This is done relatively quickly since the apparatus does not have to stop for each individual spike. There is no impacting or shock-loading on the spikes during this operation. Thus, a longer life for the spikes is expected.